Boston College Preseason Practice Report No. 3

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August 2, 2017

Boston College Preseason Practice Report No. 3

Eagles put on the shoulder pads for the first time this preseason

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Boston College held its third practice of the preseason Wednesday morning inside Alumni Stadium and the first practice of the year in shoulder pads.

With the addition of shoulder pads, the intensity went up a level as the Eagles practiced under another day filled with sunny skies in Chestnut Hill.

Entering his second year on the Boston College football staff, defensive backs coach Anthony Campanile is excited with the potential of his position group in 2017 and the start they have had in preseason camp.

“The guys have performed great so far,” said Campanile. “We’ve thrown a lot at them and they’re handling it really well. It’s the second year in the system and I think there is a lot of progress from last year to this year. The older guys are doing a great job and the younger guys are picking it up.”

The Eagles enter the season with one of the best cornerback tandems in the ACC with seniors Kamrin Moore and Isaac Yiadom. Moore really blossomed the second half of 2016 as he started all 13 games at right corner. The Maryland native totaled 43 tackles, two interceptions and five pass breakups on the year, including his game-winning interception to seal the upset win at NC State.

Yiadom played in all 13 games, including eight starts at left corner. The Worcester native led BC with 10 pass breakups and totaled 26 tackles on the season.

“Kam and Isaac are two of the smartest guys I’ve ever coached,” said Campanile. “If they wanted, both of those guys could be coaches when their playing days are over. Isaac has really, really excelled. He’s had a great camp. Kam has a multiple skill set. He’s a tough kid. He has great feet and like I said, he’s so smart. You cannot coach two better guys.”

Boston College has seen two safeties drafted in each of the last two years in Justin Simmons and John Johnson, and junior safety Will Harris looks to be on the same path in the future. The Suwanee, Georgia, native started all 13 games at strong safety in 2016 and is primed to become one of the ACC’s elite defensive backs. Last season, Harris recorded 47 tackles and two interceptions.

“I think his ability level is through the roof,” Campanile said. “Just like Kam and Issac, he is a really, really smart guy. He has a high IQ in general and he definitely has a high football IQ. He’s an explosive hitter so he’s really a force in the run game. He has done really well in the pass game and has had a good camp so far.”

Preseason camp will also allow some of the less experienced players in the secondary to earn the opportunity for more playing time in 2017.

“Hamp Cheevers had a great spring and that’s rolled right through the summer and into summer camp,” Campanile said. “Taj-Amir Torres is a guy like that too. He’s played some nickel, some corner. He’s a really, really speedy guy and again, a sharp dude. Medhi El Attrach is just taking the next step. He’s become a really, really good player. Gabe (McClary) is doing a lot of good things so I feel really happy about where we’re at. Brandon Sebastian has come in as a young guy and done a good job, and Jahmin Muse has really started out well.”

As preseason camp continues, Campanile is excited about the potential of the group. “We want to have a great overall knowledge of the system,” said Campanile. “We want to be a great tackling and fundamental unit. Like Coach Addazio says, we just want to have competitive excellence every day we come out here. We just want to compete at a really high level. The standard is excellence and anything below that is not acceptable. We’re trending that way which is awesome.”

Practice Notes: Wednesday saw some team period play as the offense squared off against the defense. Redshirt freshman quarterback Anthony Brown completed the big play of the day as he found graduate student Charlie Callinan on a deep ball … Sophomore wide receiver Nolan Borgersen had one of the nicest receptions of the practice with a sliding grab during 11-on-11 action … redshirt freshman Isaiah Miranda broke loose for a would-be sack during 11-on-11 action … Pete Cronan, one of the all-time greats in BC history, was on-hand at practice Wednesday. Cronan also serves as BC’s color analyst on the BC IMG Sports Network.

-BC-